


The Outtake Pile, Now with AUs

by Poker



Series: Babatha [1]
Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babatha, Barry stays AU, Gen, Outtake collections
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22064506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poker/pseuds/Poker
Summary: Where I put all the outtakes, AUs, and snippets from all of my fics! Requests appreciated.
Series: Babatha [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588084
Comments: 5
Kudos: 69





	The Outtake Pile, Now with AUs

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Years! And to kick it off, I’m opening the outtake collection! Feel free to request scenes.
> 
> This is a variant of an AU I’d dearly love to write when I finally have the time for it. In which Barry stays and every way the meeting can go.
> 
> So hopefully, eventually I’ll be able to write the full story of how Barry messes up canon by raising his niece.

“I think this must be one of the silliest things you have ever done.”

Barry winced, stepping back away from the door. Lilith always made him feel like a child with their hand caught in a cookie bear trap. “I need to go.”

Lilith crossed her arms, stepping down the final step. “Why?”

To destroy the Other. To ask Klaus why. To keep Agatha safe. Everything felt jumbled now. “I need to know what happened.” Barry said. Six years he had been gone. 

“With all of your contacts outdated? I’m impressed you’ve found a way to track revenants so fast.” Lilith said drily. Barry winced. “I’m assuming that means no.”

“I trust my people.”

“Like you trusted Klaus?”

Barry stiffened. “That’s a low blow and you know it.” He said. He still couldn’t believe it himself. Klaus had always been their greatest ally, but there was too much evidence to ignore.

“Why is this so important to you?” Lilith said softly, switching tactics. “Agatha will be heartbroken.” 

“She can’t stay in limbo forever.” Barry said softly. He needed to find someplace safer for her, or make Europa better.Otherwise, she’d have to spend her entire life in hiding. “She needs more.”

“Agatha doesn’t need the Heterodyne Boys, for you to swoop back in and save the day.” Lilith said, shaking her head. “She needs her uncle Barry. And we need you too.”

“What?” Barry said. Was there some kind of variable he didn’t consider?

“She’s too young to be a war orphan.” Lilith said. “And I’ve seen Heterodyne children. That locket won’t last forever. It would be so much easier to have a surviving family member, a minor Spark to explain everything.”

To stay.

Barry was so tempted by the thought. He was so tired and Agatha was so young.

“People will recognize me.” He said. The minions of the Other would be looking for an uncle and niece, not a lone girl with her foster parents. “Klaus would recognize me.”

“You say that to the people who have spent years unnoticed.” Lilith said, her hands shifting to her hips. “As long as you don’t actually talk to the man, he’ll never know.”

Barry wavers.

“Just until she’s old enough to fend for herself as a Spark.” Lilith asked. “If you can stay long enough for that, then I won’t trouble you any longer.”

The next day, the lower levels of TPU get a new mechanic. He’s polite, very mild, and has nothing more than a hint of Spark about him. Utterly forgettable.

(See there’s multiple routes I’m tempted to use from here on out. But a bunch of fluff of baby Agatha and Barry, as well as him dealing with emotional trauma and Punch and Judy being Supportive Parents would be in any of them.)

(First route is Barry intervening in the lab)

The inspection came early and they were both trapped. 

Barry knew he shouldn’t, knew that Klaus would never recognize his niece. But he couldn’t stop himself from lurking near the lab door. The Jägers could recognize her, Beetle could betray them, everything could go wrong.

Then Agatha screamed and the world seems to go on fast forward.

Barry throws open the door, and shoots. The Beetle drone shatters harmlessly under the magnetic ray. But Barry only had eyes for his niece, taking a few more steps into the room.

Beetle just tried to kill his niece.

_There was a hive engine. Right there._

_Beetle, what have you done?_

“Uncle!” Agatha shrieks. She throws herself across the room to get to him, nearly knocking him a few steps back. 

There are clanks and Jägers, now even Beetle and the Baron, but all Barry can focus on is that Agatha is safe. Maybe he should have allowed her one death ray.

And the locket is gone. Of course it is.

“I see an engine isn’t the only thing you were hiding from me.” Klaus said, all barely contained rage. Barry glanced back at the door but already there was a clank there.

Klaus looked older now. Definitely more irritable. Always prone to the dramatics. “is it really hiding if no one tends to notice you’re there?” Barry mused. It’s not like he dyed his hair or grew a beard.

“Yes.” Klaus said firmly. There was a clattering sound and cursing from Beetle as Glassvitch got the hint and pinned him. Good man. 

“Father?” Gilgamesh said. Red fire, he should have called himself and Agatha in sick today. “What are you doing?”

“Apparently bringing in one of my old friends in for a meeting.” Klaus said, reaching up to rub his temples. “What the hell, Barry?”

His eyes dropped to Agatha and Barry pushed his sniffling niece behind them. “I’d rather you didn’t.” Barry said icily. “I think we’ll be leaving now.”

“You will not.” Klaus said. His step forward was prevented by a clawed hand pulling him back.

“Hy tink they vill.” The Jäger growled. The group of Jägers were hovering around them, looking at Barry with something that was frankly close to adoration. “Hallo, Master Barry!”

How had he gotten so awful that a Jäger could sneak up on him?

“Günther.” Barry acknowledged. The Jäger beamed at him. 

“I should have known this would happen.” Klaus said tightly. He rested his head in his hands. “Is it really you?”

“Schmells like him!” Another Jäger announced. It was like being circled by a group of friendly sharks with guns. “Looks like him too!”

“Fine.” Klaus said. “Can we at least talk? In privacy, if you can’t deal with the ship.”

...Klaus looked older than he remembered. Maybe more reasonable. And with Agatha here, Barry really couldn’t see another way out yet.

“Fine. But only in the upper rooms.” The one where Barry stored his back up kit. Gilgamesh drifted over, still looking fairly confused. Klaus nodded slowly.

“Last question. Is she yours?” He asked. There was a softness to him now that Barry had rarely seen before. “The girl.”

“No, Bill’s. It’s a long story.” And Bill was gone now, hopefully scolding Lucrezia in the afterlife. There was a loud exuberant whoop from the Jägers. Agatha glanced between him and then, looking confused.

And a quick cry of pain from Beetle because Jägers have long memories when it comes to Heterodyne’s being in danger. Hopefully the man didn’t break anything too badly.

“Ve vill protect her vith our lives.” Günther said seriously. It almost made Barry feel okay as he led them to the upper rooms. 

Almost. 

(That or the ship confrontation that can go two ways. Because there is no way Barry would let Judy or Punch do the rescue alone.)

“We’re leaving, Klaus.” Lilith said. Von Pinn hissed and Agatha eeped slightly, pushing back into Adam’s side.

“Put them in isolation.” Klaus said, like he didn’t even hear Lilith. “And don’t let the Jägers near them.”

“Like hell you're doing that.” Uncle boomed from behind her. Agatha nearly melted in relief as his hand settled on her shoulder. “You’ll be leaving my niece alone.”

The Baron just sort of… slumped. “Barry? You’re alive?” He said, glancing between the two of them.

“One of us had to come back and keep an eye on her.” Uncle said, sounding light.

Uncle Barry.

Barry Heterodyne.

Agatha took very deep breaths and considered if she should take her wrench out now. The room suddenly seemed a lot bigger.

The Baron’s eyes settled on her and Agatha cringed back slightly before stiffening up. She wasn’t afraid of him! Much! “Then she is Lucrezia and Bill’s.” He said. “What have you even been doing?”

“Been around.” Barry said. “Some issues with time. Would have been far easier if I didn’t come back to one of my friends building an empire. I didn’t even think you would ever want one. Having to boss people around all day.”

Klaus glanced down at the Jäger on the floor, looking almost embarrassed. Was this what Lilith meant by manners scaring people? “It’s not like I wanted one, but someone had to keep order after you left.”

“This is the exact opposite of what we were doing.” Barry said. “And not only did you kidnap my niece, apparently you were going to lock her away when you found out about her.”

Um. Agatha really didn’t want to be locked in isolation. Especially with Von Pinn who seemed kind of scary.

“She’s the child of the Other, and already at risk for being killed.” Klaus said. “Someone had to deal with Sparks’ death rate.”

Child of the What??

“And a perfectly normal child at that. And I will shoot you here and now if you can’t agree with that.” Barry growled. “Leave her out of this.”

Whatever Klaus was going to say next was interrupted by dumb Gilgamesh bursting through the doors. “Father! There’s int- oh. You already have them.” He said. The pirate lady behind him started coughing.

Klaus and Barry really did look alike when they were exasperated.

(If Barry And co stays, though poor Moloch is probably just giving up and drinking at this point. Probably for once, Klaus let’s Boris do the talking because Boris is very good at talking down paranoid Sparks guarding their kids.)

Calus slumped across the doorway. His head still throbbed slightly in pain, the Baron had a real good arm. But it was mostly the shame that contributed to his downcast frame. “Vas them all right.” He said. Judy and Punch and the little girl.

Zog slammed a hand on the table. “He darez.” The General growled. “She iz ov de line. Und den he attacks a brodder.”

“Not fer sure.” Khrizhan grumbled. Zog growled, the two generals settling down for a good spat.

Goomblast shook his head. “Drink hyur beer, vill help vith de headache.” He said. Calus nodded.

“No, it doesn’t.” Someone very familiar said behind him. A hand snagged his chin, turning it to the side.

“Follow my hand.” Master Barry told him crisply. Gobsmacked, Calus obeyed. 

The man still smelled like woodsmoke and ozone. 

Like home.

“You don’t have a concussion, but drink water instead.” Barry advises, releasing his head. “Really, Klaus, did you have to hit him so hard?”

“Master Barry?” Calus said, his voice cracking slightly. It was like a sight out of a dream. The man sighed, nodding.

“Clearly, I should have come back sooner if this is the medical attention they were getting.” He grumbled. Klaus rolled his eyes, pushing his way past into the room.

“The more serious injuries go to Gkika.” Klaus said. “I’m not involved in that, and they firmly rejected any offers.”

Khrizhan whooped, snagging Barry in a tight hold. “One ov de boyz iz back!” He yelled. Goomblast carefully guided Calus over to the wall when he wobbled slightly.

“Dat vill be de odder brodders now.” Zog said, sounding gleeful. There were footsteps already thumping away. Calus wanted to go with them, tell everyone the news, but he couldn’t seem to move away from that familiar smell.

“Sorry for being gone for so long. One of us had to be reasonably sane in raising children.” Barry said.

“It was completely reasonable!”

“You built an empire.” Barry said, looking up. As best as he could with the Generals crowding around him.

“So de gurl?” Goomblast said. Now the second Heterodyne. Calus was practically bouncing in place. One of the boys was back! And with a likely heir!

They could go home!

“Bill’s.” Barry said. 

Honestly, Calus could almost forgive Klaus was hitting him if he meant he got to see one of their boys.

Nah, he was still going to punch him later. Just maybe a little lighter, like a townie tap.

(It’s either this or Klaus says something dumb and Barry takes off with Babatha. Cue Klaus having a conniption over his best friend heading off in the Wastelands, Barry playing himself in the circus, Moloch despairing of life, and Agatha having a great time. Zumzum gets a pretty nasty wake up call though.

Also the entire Jäger army going rogue and happily chasing after Barry. Sturmhalten is much easier in this AU.)

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Girl Genius but reviews are appreciated! Especially requests for further scenes from Babatha or Flashbang, such as scenes from different POVs or that aren’t shown.
> 
> Also, yes, there will be new chapters up for Pint Sized Death and Flashbang soon! Within the next week or two, as long as the editing goes smooth.


End file.
